Tea Man Sentenced for Concealing a Person from Arrest and Providing a Firearm to a Prohibited Person

U.S. Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Tea man convicted of concealing a person from arrest and providing a firearm to a prohibited person was sentenced on December 6, 2011, by U.S. District Judge Lawrence L. Piersol. William Stegmeier, age 56, was sentenced to 24 months in custody on each of the two counts, to be served concurrently; three years of supervised release on each count, to run concurrently; and a $200 Victim Assistance Fund assessment.

Stegmeier was convicted October 7, 2011, of concealing a person from arrest and providing a firearm to a prohibited person following a federal jury trial.

The federal jury found that Stegmeier harbored Thomas R. Kelley of Salem, South Dakota, who failed to appear at his August 23, 2010, federal sentencing hearing. The jury also found that Stegmeier provided Kelley with a .357 revolver. Kelley had been previously convicted on 22 separate federal tax and related financial crimes. Kelley was apprehended after being located in Wood Lake, Minnesota, on December 22, 2010.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Criminal Investigation Division of the Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Marshals Service, the Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office, and the Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota, Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Koliner prosecuted the case.

Stegmeier will be allowed to self-report to the Bureau of Prisons no later than December 27, 2011.